A New Species of Coluber (sensu lato) from the Dahlak Islands, Eritrea, with a Review of the Herpetofauna of the Archipelago

Beat Schätti

Abstract

A new racer species, Coluber (sensu lato), is described from the small islands of Andeber, Nocra, and Sarad in the Dahlak archipelago. This polymorphous species is most closely related to C. (s.l.) florulentus (Geoffroy) and C. (s.l.) taylori Parker. Phylogenetic relationships and generic allocation of East African and Palaearctic racer genera are briefly discussed. Three species of amphibians are known from Dahlak al-Kabir, and a total of fifteen terrestrial reptile species including two endemic snakes, viz. the new species of Coluber (s.l.) and Echis megalocephalus, have been recorded from nine islands in the Dahlak archipelago.